The national U-20 football team, the Flying Eagles will today square up against their counterparts from Libya in the first of two warm-up matches between both sides ahead of the Africa Youth Championship coming up month in Libya.
The Flying Eagles have been camped for over six weeks in Abuja where they have already played a number of friendly matches with local club sides, as well as the home-based Super Eagles.
For the team coach, John Obuh, the match against Libya will help him know how ready his lads are for the African challenge which lies ahead of them when the youth championship begins on March 18.
Quality opposition
The Flying Eagles team which departed the country on Sunday morning with 25 players and officials promised to make the best of the friendly.
"We need to play quality friendly matches to shore up our confidence. Libya is a good side and we hope they will give us the quality position we are craving for," said Obuh, who led the national U-17 team to a second-place finish at the 2009 cadets World Championship hosted by Nigeria.
The Flying Eagles will likely face a good opposition in the form of the Libyans who only recently won the North African Football Union Cup, after beating Algeria 1-0 in the finals.
After today's game, both sides will meet again on Wednesday; the Flying Eagles will fly out for a training tour camp in Antalya, Turkey afterwards.
The contingent of 25 players and nine officials will arrive in Turkey on February 17, where they will be joined by four overseas-based players.
The team will spend 25 days and play a number of friendly matches in Antalya, before flying to Tripoli on March 14 for the continental showpiece.
Nigeria are drawn in a tough group against reigning world and African champions Ghana, Cameroon and Gambia in Group B of the championship, which ends on April 1.
The Flying Eagles opening match of the tournament will be against the Ghanaians, before games against Cameroon in Benghazi and Gambia in Tripoli.
The top four teams at the championships will get a slot for the FIFA U-20 World Cup to be staged by Colombia later this year.
Source: 234nxet
The Flying Eagles have been camped for over six weeks in Abuja where they have already played a number of friendly matches with local club sides, as well as the home-based Super Eagles.
For the team coach, John Obuh, the match against Libya will help him know how ready his lads are for the African challenge which lies ahead of them when the youth championship begins on March 18.
Quality opposition
The Flying Eagles team which departed the country on Sunday morning with 25 players and officials promised to make the best of the friendly.
"We need to play quality friendly matches to shore up our confidence. Libya is a good side and we hope they will give us the quality position we are craving for," said Obuh, who led the national U-17 team to a second-place finish at the 2009 cadets World Championship hosted by Nigeria.
The Flying Eagles will likely face a good opposition in the form of the Libyans who only recently won the North African Football Union Cup, after beating Algeria 1-0 in the finals.
After today's game, both sides will meet again on Wednesday; the Flying Eagles will fly out for a training tour camp in Antalya, Turkey afterwards.
The contingent of 25 players and nine officials will arrive in Turkey on February 17, where they will be joined by four overseas-based players.
The team will spend 25 days and play a number of friendly matches in Antalya, before flying to Tripoli on March 14 for the continental showpiece.
Nigeria are drawn in a tough group against reigning world and African champions Ghana, Cameroon and Gambia in Group B of the championship, which ends on April 1.
The Flying Eagles opening match of the tournament will be against the Ghanaians, before games against Cameroon in Benghazi and Gambia in Tripoli.
The top four teams at the championships will get a slot for the FIFA U-20 World Cup to be staged by Colombia later this year.
Source: 234nxet
No comments:
Post a Comment